Unmasking the Sexual Offender

159 Pages·2022·7.832 MB·English

by  Veronique N. Valliere

Unmasking the Sexual Offender
This book unmasks the sexual offender by providing clear, comprehensible information
about the motivations, techniques, and dynamics of sexual offenders and their behavior. It
not only explores the biases and myths that the reader may rely upon to understand deviance
but also explains pathways to offending, the distorted thinking and relating that offend-
ers engage in, and the ways offenders manipulate and exploit others. Sexual offenders are
surrounded by mythology, fascination, and revulsion. People who commit sexual offenses
present difficult and complicated issues interpersonally, as well as in treatment and man-
agement; denial, victim-blaming, aggression, and blatant chronic deception are inherent
in interactions with them. Unfortunately, the failure to truly understand their motives and
techniques helps provide excuses for and further camouflage of their deviance.
The first part of the text explores the presumptions commonly adopted about sexual
offenders and shows how misinformation supports the inappropriate behavior of the sexual
offender. The second section focuses on exposing the sexual offender using straightforward
language and tangible examples. A final, third section includes safety and management
strategies for dealing with sex offenders for those both inside and outside the realms of law
enforcement and offender supervision.
This book is intended for anyone interested in learning about sexual offenders. It is useful
for both professionals and non-professionals, including students, paralegals, victim advo-
cates, and others involved in the criminal justice system or mental health field.
Veronique N. Valliere is a licensed psychologist. She has her doctorate in clinical psychol-
ogy from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology of Rutgers Univer-
sity. She has over 30 years’ experience in the field and has worked clinically with violent
offenders and their victims, adult and child. She is the owner and director of Valliere &
Counseling Associates, Inc., an outpatient treatment center for mental health and interper-
sonal violence, with offices that treat victims and offenders, as well as provides consultation,
training, expert witness services, and evaluations. She serves on the Pennsylvania Sexual
Offender Assessment Board, reappointed continuously since 1997. She has published on
the topic of sexual assault and presented on the same at international, national, and local
conferences. She has trained for the FBI, DOJ, DOD, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Ontario
Police, Alberta Crown Prosecutor’s Office, Amber Alert, Army JAG Office, Pennsylvania
State Parole, National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women, and other
agencies. She been a guest presenter at many forensic and violence related conferences. She
is recognized as an expert on victim behavior and offenders, testifying nationally and inter-
nationally. She has testified before the US Congress and Judiciary Committee regarding
sexual assault in the military, as well as consulted with the Department of Defense and the
US Department of Justice. She has been interviewed for popular magazines on sexual assault
and domestic violence, including New York Times, The Atlantic, People, Self, and Good House-
keeping. She has appeared on “PBS News Hour,” “CBS This Morning,” and other programs
and radio shows. Dr. Valliere was used as an expert in the sexual assault trial of Bill Cosby.
In 2009, she established an annual conference on the investigation, prosecution, and treat-
ment of violence entitled “Right From the Start.” Dr. Valliere is the author of Understanding
Victim Response to Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors, published by
Routledge Press.
Unmasking the Sexual Offender
Veronique N. Valliere
Designed cover image: Marccophoto
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Veronique N. Valliere
The right of Veronique N. Valliere to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-0-367-74153-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-74124-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-15628-4 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003156284
Typeset in Bembo
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
To those who supported and loved me through this process. I
dedicate this book to the possibility that it will help us understand
what threatens us, arm us against danger, and have courage to face
what scares us.

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
SECTION I
The Offender’s Best Weapon: Society as
the Audience to the Offense 5
1 The Co-Defendants: The Role of the Audience to a Sexual Offense 7
The Role of the Audience in the Facilitation of Sexual Violence 7
Societal Building Blocks for Construction of a Good Offense 9
Summary 16

2 Weaponized Humanity: Why We Offer Denial and
Disbelief to Offenders 19
Biases – Constructs of Complacency 20
The Need to Be “Good” 23
Our Narcissism 24
Misapplied Social Rules and Understanding of Deception 25
Confused by “Counterintuitive” Behavior 27
Need for Ideal Victims 28
Summary 28

3 Myth-Information: Our Misinformed Beliefs about Sexual Offenders 30
Not Always Monsters – The Insidious Normalcy of the Sex Offender 30
The Mythos of False Allegations 32
“Boys Will Be Boys” and Myth of the Unmanageable Arousal 33
“The Devil Made Him Do It” – The Fable of “It Wasn’t Me” 33
The Fiction of Low Self-Esteem, Immaturity, or Sexual Deprivation 34
“He Is Crazy/Sick/Sex Addicted” – The Myth of Mental Illness and Sexual Offending 36
“That’s Not His Type” – The Problem with Typologies 37
“Hurt People Hurt People” – The Problem of the Victimized Victimizer 38
viii Contents
Myth: Consent Is Too Complicated 39
Summary 40
4 “I Know Him – He’s Not Like That”: The Struggle to Believe 43
Public, Private, and Secret Selves 43
“Stranger Danger” Myth – The Impact of a Relationship on Denial 45
“He’s Good Down Deep!” – All or Nothing Thinking 46
Summary 47
5 The Theater of Sexual Assault: The Act versus the Production 49
Deviance: Criminogenic or Sexual Needs 49
The Stages of Criminal Behavior – Modified 49
Mistakes in Understanding Offenses and Offenders 52
Summary 55
SECTION II
Unmasking the Sex Offender 57
6 Defining Deviance: The Pathway to Offending 59
Two Primary Pathways to Offending – Character and Sexual Deviance 59
Power of Deviance 63
Deviance and Distortions 64
Summary 65
7 Character Deviance: “He’s Not Sick – He’s Bad” 66
What Is a Personality Disorder? 66

Survival of the Fittest: Antisociality as a Character Pathway 68
Narcissism and Sexual Offending 71

Summary 74
8 Sexual Deviance: The Sexual Pathway to Offending 76
Paraphilias and Paraphilic Disorders 76
Paraphilic Interest and Sexual Crimes 78
Fantasy and Deviance 81
Typologies of Offenders: Understanding Preference and Barriers 83
Summary 85
9 Tools of the Trade: The Manipulations of the Offender 86
Sexual Assault and the “V” Word – Vulnerability 86
Nice Is a Four-Letter Word 89
“Grooming” – Preparing the Victim 90
Co-Opted: Preparing the Audience 93
Deception 95
Using Social Rules for Control 96
Contents ix
Playing on Our “Isms” – Racism, Sexism, Ageism, Weightism, and More 96
Feigning Harmlessness or Garnering Sympathy 97
Using Fear, Intimidation, Helplessness, and Confusion against Others 98
Confuse with Counterintuitive Behavior 99
Summary 99
SECTION III
Prevention, Intervention, and Managing Relationships
with Offenders 103
10 How Can I Have a Relationship with an Offender? 105
Pressure to Forgive or Deny 105
Identifying Your Expectations and Your Needs 106
Creating and Maintaining Boundaries 106
Maintaining Vigilance 107
Attend to the Non-Sexual Displays of Offense Dynamics 110
Summary 111
11 Assessing Promises: What Does Real Change Look Like? 112
What Doesn’t Matter 112
What Matters When Assessing Change 115
Summary 118
12 “But I Am Telling the Truth!”: Suggestions for
Investigation, Supervision, and Treatment of Offenders 119
The Overvalued Interview 119
Challenge and Confrontation 120
Accountability and Agency 120
The Team Approach 121
Dynamic Risk Factors 122
Change Is Meaningful, But What Does It Mean? 123
The Myth of the Supervised Visit 123
Dynamics Define the Offender, Not the Victim 124
Summary 125
13 Prevention Tips and Strategies 127
Be Aware of Your Biases – Confront Your Subtle Blaming 127
Educating Our Children 128
Role Modeling: Violence Is Learned, So Is Respect 129
Make Conflict Your Friend 130
Being a Proactive Bystander 131
Learning to Say Yes – Healthy Sexuality 131
Accepting No Excuses for Abuse 132
Summary 132